Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Specialization

Listening to Glenn Gould this morning (WTC), it occurred to me that I believe in the sort of utopia in which everyone is allowed to specialize. Why shouldn't someone be allowed to contribute just and only his interpretation of Bach to the culture? Why shouldn't that be enough? Given advances in technology, each of us needs to make only a very limited contribution in order for life to be highly enjoyable for all.

(The argument unravels a bit as I try to develop it, unfolding into platitudes about everyone contributing according to their talents and desires. But the basic intuition, that a society built around highly specialized contributions by each member to the enjoyment of all members would work, holds, I think.)

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